Afghanistan’s
National Museum, established in the 1920s and acknowledged as one of
the world’s most opulent depositories, had also become a victim of fighting
among the fundamentalists. After the invasion of Kabul in 1992 the corrupt
and uncivilized warriors plundered the whole museum and turned its building
into ashes. Many historical relics were destroyed and the precious collections
of the museum lay in ruins.

The pillage of Kabul Museum

Following is
excerpts from a write-up on the pillage of Kabul Museum published in "Weekend
Post" (October 21,1994). The only point we would like to add is that
the treacherous jehadi fundamentalists had only plundered and sold Kabul
museum, but now their brethren Taliban are playing with the dignity and
pride of our people. The jehadi and the Taliban type of fundamentalists
have put Afghans to shame in front of the world.

Shifted
to the idyllic settings of Darul Aman in 1931, Afghanistan’s national museum
is one of the richest cultural repositories in the world, housing the most
elegant antiquities from Alexandria, Ashokan, Akhamansheed, Greek, Budd-hist,
Kanishkan, Zoroastrian and Muslim periods. But, unfortunately, the marathon
gory drama of death and destruction in Kabul has brought in its wake such
a situation that helped an international Mafia comprising hogs from a number
of countries -- notably Russia, Japan, India, Pakistan, UK, France and
Germany-- a great deal in smuggling most of the excellent artifacts out
of Afghanistan.

Rumors have it that the sword of
legendary Ahmad Shah Abdali Baba, stolen from Kabul Museum, was sold for
a song in Peshawar: Rs.300 only, a price that should put the entire Pakhtun
nation to shame. As it changed hands, the sword was sold to a cagey European
businessman for six million rupees.

Likewise, in the not-so-distant
past, an ignoramus group of mujahideen, led by Ahmad Shah Masood, was accused
of purloining most of the contents of the museum -- some of them 30,000
to 50,000 years old.

The mujahideen, who are no connoisseurs
of arts, threw overboard the centuries-old golden principles of the ‘Ormazd’
and ‘Ahriman’ when, in 1988 invaluable vases belonging to the Zoroastrian
period were pilfered from Kabul museum. A skint group of refugees sold
them in Hayatabad at dirt-cheap prices. ....

The trigger-happy mujahideen, after
having ruined their present, and imperiled their future, are now bent upon
wreaking havoc with their past glories, an act that is tantamount to cultural
suicide.

The future Afghan generation are
bound to curse their forefathers for selling their rich civilization and,
thus, distorting their otherwise splendid history. ....

But the present-day horror story
of Kabul will make Yutozi turn in his grave. ....

The pistol of Amir Abdur Rehman
and the sword of Wazir Akbar Khan, whose heroic role in the 1839 war against
the British invaders, is remembered to date in Afghan folklores, are conspicuously
missing from the museum. ....

It is an open secret that a 6th
Century A.D. statue was sold to a farmer of Dir for Rs.700 by an Afghan
refugee. The farmer struck a profitable bargain with a foreigner and pocketed
a hefty sum of 7.5 million rupees from the sale of the statue. Similarly,
a federal minister was recently accused of trading in statues by a religious
leader belonging to Swabi (NWFP). It is relevant to note that artifacts
of the said minister were seized at the Peshawar airport which were to
be smuggled abroad through a third party.

Pakistan government buying stolen antiques

Islamabad, Aug. 6: In what was described
by most experts as a surprise decision, the Cabinet approved last month
a supplementary grant of Rs 30 million to procure antiques, metal and glassware,
manuscripts and paintings available in the local market or in private hands.
Following the Cabinet directive, the Finance Division agreed last week
to provide the huge amount for procurement from local market of artifacts/
manuscripts/arts pieces of Afghanistan or Central Asian origin for display
in National Museum in Islamabad.

The only thing which happened recently
was unconfirmed reports that a large number of high value pieces of carved
ivory stolen from the Afghan National Museum in Kabul have been brought
to Peshawar and were offered for sale to a very few, highly connected persons.
It is understood that some of the Afghan ivory pieces have already been
sold to individuals and smuggled out of Pakistan but more than one hundred
pieces are still reported to be available with a man in Peshawar who according
to one expert was operating under an assumed name.

The Afghan treasure of carved ivory
was discovered at village Begram, some 40 miles north-east of Kabul and
dates back to 2nd century AD. They come from a period when the Kushan Empire
covered a vast area from northern India up to the upper regions of Central
Asia. Artifacts from this period, therefore, can be classified as of Central
Asian Afghan origin.

The decision of the Cabinet came
as a surprise for people who are knowledgeable about the international
law on sale/purchase of archeological pieces belonging to the cultural
heritage of another nation. They advise that care must be taken while selecting
items for purchase from the supplementary grant for display at Pakistan
National Museum because if even one item stolen from Kabul museum is procured
by the Government of Pakistan, it would amount to a clear violation of
the 1972 UN convention of Protection of National Heritage of the member
states. Pakistan is a signatory to the Convention.

THE MUSLIM, August 7, 1995

UNESCO calls on dealers to respect Afghan art heritage

PARIS (AFP) - UNESCO director general
Federico Mayor called Wednesday on art dealers and collectors to refrain
from acquiring objects that formed part of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage
but were looted from Kabul’s central museum last November.

The international art market has
recently begun trading in articles from Afghanistan that have found their
way to the west after a rocket attack on the museum enabled looters to
make off with many valuable items.

Officials of the UN Educational
Scientific and Cultural Organization warned that "looters stripped the
national museum in Kabul, the Jalalabad museum was destroyed and several
art objects were sold in the west." The loss to the Asian country’s heritage
was "massive", they said in a statement.

Mayor called on dealers and collectors
to "respect scrupulously the interests of the Afghan people by refraining
from acquiring objects that might have been stolen from them."

The Frontier Post, April 1,1994

Where is the selling market of the Kabul museum’s antiques?

CIA, Peshawar, in a big haul early
on Thursday recovered antiques in three different raids at gold market,
Koochi Bazar and Gulbahar. The relics were allegedly stolen from the Kabul
museum some time back.

Two persons were arrested who according
to police are the agents of a gang operating in Peshawar, US and other
countries had smuggled antiques which has allegedly been stolen from Kabul
museum some time back. The smugglers had also concealed heroin powder in
the antiques.

During the raid, the officials recovered
two mounds of ‘topaz’ worth lakhs of rupees, 34 statues worth millions
of rupees in the international market, 16 swords of Mughal era, 23 other
swords, five epitops and other antiques.

Experts in the local market while
talking to The Frontier Post said that the seized antiques are worth millions
of dollars in the international market. While in the local market price
is estimated at millions of rupees. They said that for the past six months,
there were reports that costly antiques stolen from Kabul museum were in
the local market.

William reeve, BBC correspondent
in Kabul in his recent interview at BBC television said that the relices
stolen from the Kabul museum had been sold in Peshawar. He also surveyed
gold market in Peshawar and found the agents who deal in the business.

The Frontier Post, August 17,1996

Mr. Mousouris:"Looting of the museum is high treason"

Nancy Hatch
Dupree in one of her detailed lecture on "Preserving Afghan Heritage" which
was delivered at the German Embassy Auditorium on April 25, 1995 said:

".... The breakdown of law and order
which has plagued Kabul ever since the arrival of fractious mujahideen
groups in April 1992 has spelled disaster for the museum.

.... In the case of the Kabul Museum,
however, all indications suggest that the looting was carried out with
careful consideration; it was probably not plundered wantonly by illiterate
Mujahideen.

.... It is important that all Afghans
should know of and appreciate the abundance of their heritage. Afghans
should be proud of their past accomplishments, and consider this past a
part of their own self-esteem. Sadly, too few are aware of their heritage.
Worse there are those who would despoil it.

.... The only pieces reliably certified
as genuine were ten Bagram ivories which were seen in Islamabad in April
1994. The asking price was 200,000 British pounds. I have recently been
informed that these have now left Pakistan and the price has risen to 400,000
pounds.

.... This brings up the question
of the morality of so grandly rewarding someone who has stolen the heritage
of his own nation. As Mr. Mousouris has stated, ‘Looting of the museum
is high treason because it is an act against the dignity, the cohesion,
and the glory of the nation’."